


Pacing

by Shockcakes



Category: Deltarune (Video Game)
Genre: Awkward Romance, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Susie doesn't know how romance works
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-09-13 05:13:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16886271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shockcakes/pseuds/Shockcakes
Summary: In the end, all they really needed was a pizza.





	Pacing

_What am I supposed to do?_

The entire school day was a blur. It only just recently dawned on Susie that she knew jack about relationships. She meandered the halls, asking herself that question over and over, unable to focus on not focusing on her schoolwork.

It wasn’t _her_ fault that the only positive social interaction she had came when she was well into her teen years. It took this long just for her to have a healthy friendship with someone who wasn’t afraid of her or acting to fulfill some humiliating dare (Berdly. How was she to know what to do when faced with something…beyond that?

Susie never saw it coming. Then again, it wasn’t the first time the Dreemurr kid completely blindsided her. She wasn’t sure what to call “getting some hot chocolate at the diner” but every impulse in her brain forced her not to call it a _date_.

Same for that stroll through the Lake Path.

And that one time over at Kris’s place. _Especially_ that time; no matter how much Ms. Toriel said otherwise.

Still, it didn’t feel right to say that they were _only_ friends. Not that they were at boyfriend/girlfriend status – _god_ no.

Susie racked her brain trying to discern what the two of them were from what they were supposedly meant to be. She had to admit that in certain…aspects, she found Kris to be sorta maybe not _not-_ charming. Something about them screamed unwavering confidence but not to the point of arrogance. Susie liked that about Kris.

It was evident from that shameful display in the Dark World that romance was far from her strongest suit. Then there was Kris, who did what she couldn’t in only one line. And they were so calm about it too. The kid hardly missed a beat, their stoic expression not wavering in the slightest. What did they even say?? How was she supposed to compete with that?

She…didn’t want to drive them away with her lack of experience.

Her musings came to an abrupt end when she ended up at the door of the supply closet. It wasn’t too long ago since both she and Kris had had their little adventure past this door. Since then, every attempt to go back had been met with the same result: an empty unused classroom with bits and pieces reminiscent of the colorful land that either of them was hesitant to disturb.

Susie wondered how Ralsei was doing. That little nerd probably could’ve given her some advice. Not that she really _needed_ any. Just something to set her in the right direction. Then again, maybe not much since he did no better than she did with that pathetic flirting performance.

…

Susie opened the door.

Everything was there. Same as how they left it. The checkerboard, the playing cards, even that worn out stuffed cat over to the side. It all felt so…nostalgic. And yet, still no Dark World portal.

She sighed to herself. Countless thoughts buzzed in her head as she leaned against the doorway, staring at the messy storage room.

That mop-haired human kid certainly wasn’t running through her mind though. The obvious explanation was just that Susie _might_ not mind having the little weirdo following her around at times. Probably because they always offered some snacks from their overstuffed lunchbox that their mother packed for them. Or maybe because they were always down to pull pranks on that Berdly guy – which clearly justified in every sense of the word. Or even because Kris was a genuinely caring person that Susie had clearly needed around her life.

One of those had the right answer. Probably not the last one. Definitely not the last one.

Susie hadn’t been pulling her weight in their not-relationship – or at least, didn’t _think_ she was. Now she was left at the same impasse as before:

“Ugh! What, am I supposed to kiss ‘em or some shit?!”

…

Wait.

\--

The last school bell rang.

Kris was barely given a fraction of a second to process the strange turn of events. They had run into Susie, disheveled and anxious for some reason. They asked her what was wrong, to which she didn’t give much of an answer aside from “Just shaddap and come with me!” topped off with now an inability to do anything but that. Kris hadn’t been able to get another word in before being dragged around the halls like the world’s first human carrying bag.

Susie made a beeline, headed straight for the destination they both knew she was taking them. She counted her blessings that no one caught sight of the tall purple monster toting around the school’s token human student with one arm as they both headed for a dark supply closet. That would’ve been…hard to explain.

As they – or Susie rather – burst through the door, Kris was finally able to feel solid ground beneath their feet again. Their vision was wrapped in a familiar darkness before their surroundings illuminated.

Yep. Still nothing but supply closet stuff.

Kris turned to Susie, looking somewhat dejected yet unsurprised. They remarked that sadly, it seemed as though there will be no Dark Worlding today.

“Forget about all that for a sec,”

Susie attempted to be as casual as she could. Her human companion stared back at her in confusion. That certainly was the last retort they would have expected. Kris joking inquired what she had done with the real Susie. She chuckled lightly, feeling a few knots in her stomach relax a bit.

“Yeah yeah, you know what I mean, smartass.”

Kris made it evidently clear that they really didn’t. In fact, they hadn’t the slightest clue what was happening right now.

Susie cleared her throat anxiously. “Uh…yeah. About that.” Shit. She was passing the point of no return here. “Well, y’see I uhh…kinda wanted to show you…something.” Susie dared herself to inch a bit closer. She never could turn down a dare, especially from herself.

The lump in her throat finally went down as the monster straightened her posture. Her eyes met Kris’s as she towered over them – well, not much their eyes as their brunette hair covering most of their face. It only then dawned on Susie that the apparent height difference could make this next part tricky. It was funny – how they had to peer their head upwards just to make eye contact. It was…cute.

In a pathetic sort of way, of course.

“Hey, couldja stand on that box real quick?”

Still curious, they followed the instruction, now temporarily a few feet taller. It felt odd not having to look down at them. Susie preferred having the kid’s head comfortably within noogie distance.

Are they staring at her?

She thinks they are, they have to be. She’s _standing right in front of them_.

God, why was she being so weird?! It’s just a stupid kiss! _Move_ , dammit!

A bead of sweat ran down the side of Susie’s muzzle. Her brain willed just about every part of her body to shuffle across the floor until she was barely a foot away from Kris. As per usual, they were stoic. Silently observing her as she internally screamed for whatever divine being of perpetual awkwardness to cease its bombardment on her very soul.

Resisting Lord Cringeicus’s influence, Susie forcefully moved her hands towards Kris’s back and face. She could’ve sworn she felt them twitch suddenly but it was exceedingly difficult to tell. Even with her now inches away from them, she marveled at how calm and collected they looked.

Not that she found that to be…kinda hot…like at all.

Susie inched her muzzle closer, ever so slowly closing the gap. Nothing was said. People weren’t supposed to talk during this right?

Closer. Her hand gently shivered as she cupped their cheek.

Was she supposed to say something mushy?

 _Closer._ Susie could almost see what hid under Kris’s messy bangs.

Wouldn’t that just make this even more awkward? Fuck, how was she supposed to know?!

 ** _Closer still_**. It was the home stretch. Their lips were practically bristling against each other. It was only just a half inch closer until they finally _finally_ ki-

“AHHHHHHHH, SHIT FUCK I CAN’T DO THIS!!”

Susie angrily turned away, total humiliation and embarrassment burned onto her face. “I just…god _dammit_! How do people just casually do this shit?!” The sound of Kris hopping of their makeshift footstool snapped her back to her more-than-friend/not-quite-significant-other. She sighed in frustration. They must’ve been confused as hell over all this. Or maybe not?? It was honestly too damn hard to tell anymore. “How are _you_ so freaking calm?”

Her irritation surprisingly diminished when Kris softly grasped her hand. Kris’s palms were soft, delicate even. A stark contrast from the scaley roughness of her own. They led her to the side of their chest.

“What-what are you…wha-oh.” Susie felt something thump. Repeatedly even. Their heart, she recalled. Something Kris had explained before – about how human hearts would beat faster and rapidly whenever they were nervous. She could even feel the slight tremble of Kris’s body. “Oh! So…you were nervous…too.” It was difficult to discern why she was satisfied knowing that. Unfortunate that it had to be followed by a wave of embarrassment, hitting her with the force of a truck.

Kris inquired how they had gotten to this point. She had been on edge lately, Kris noted, to the point where they were starting to get worried. Kris sensed something was troubling her, even when she brushed them off.

“Well um,” A light blush graced the monster’s face. She resisted the urge to groan in shame. “How do I put this…”

\--

Susie had to admit that her reasons sounded much more ridiculous as she said them aloud. Kris leaned against Susie’s shoulder as she talked, silently enjoying having her arm around their shoulder.

“Anyway, yeah,” she sighed tersely. “All this lovey-dovey stuff was giving me a migraine.”

Kris saw fit to remind her that there wasn’t anything wrong with going at one’s own pace. That sounded like something Toriel would say in this situation.

“Yeah, yeah ya little fortune cookie, I hear you,” They earned that playful noogie-ing this time. “At least now I know the little _Cassanova_ isn’t so high and mighty.”

Kris mock scoffed, presumably having little idea what Susie could possibly be referring to.

“Oh don’t play dumb with me! I know what I saw in the Dark World!” She caught the faintest hint of a rascally smile. For a completely out of left field reason which surely held no sort of pretenses of romantic feelings _whatsoever_ …Susie found it to be cute.

From a certain angle.

Only with this specific level of shading.

Susie was far too busy _not_ admiring the little miscreant’s dumb face that she didn’t notice she was being spoken to – that is until she heard the word-

“Pizza?” Kris nodded, beaming an even more ecstatic smile. “Yeah, dude! I’m game!” Susie didn’t need to be asked twice. Again, she held the smaller human by her arm as they enthusiastically strolled out of the closet door, setting off for Ice-E’s. She was starting to enjoy doing that.

Even with the musings of romance becoming afterthoughts, Susie couldn’t deny the warm feeling at the pit of her stomach as she clutched her new favorite carrying bag.


End file.
